This week in progressive state blogs focuses attention on the writings and analyses of people focused on their home turf. Via comments or Kosmail, let me know if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think should be watched.
Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At Blue in the Bluegrass of Kentucky, Yellow Dog writes—Why No Hate for Kentucky's Hate Bill? Boycott Us!
If the NCAA sacks up this week and pulls the tournament from hoosierville because Indiana passed a right-for-freakazoids-to-discriminate bill two years AFTER Kentucky passed its own version, the only reason they wouldn't bring it to Rupp Arena in Lexington is because it's the home of the UK Wildcats, current favorites to take the championship.
Because nobody seems to notice Kentucky's only-god-botherers-can-discriminate bill passed in 2013.
Maybe because it passed over Governor Steve Beshear's veto and therefore there is no repug hate-figure like Steve Pence?
Or because the corporations who think gay-bashing discrimination is stupid and anti-business don't do business in Kentucky?
Or is it because big corporations headquartered in Kentucky are perfectly happy with their employees and customers being treated like shit by the freakazoid motherfuckers who run this state? [...]
Why all the hate for Indiana and none for Kentucky, national business leaders? Boycott us, too! And make sure no repug state legislators get national corporate campaign cash.
Head below the orange gerrymander to see more pundit excerpts.
At Ohio Daily, Anastasia Pantsios writes—Kasich Does a Good Thing, Takes a Stand Against Voter Suppression:
Taxin' John Kasich's record as governor has been mostly dismal. It's been six years of reckless spending, increased taxes, cuts to local governments and public schools, lax charter school oversight and repeated scandals as well as failure, lagging job creation, shrinking middle class, growing poverty, attacks on women's rights .... the list goes on and on.
The Republican regime in Columbus has especially been notable for its attacks on fair elections, with attempts at creating obstacles and confusion for voters coming from Secretary of State Jon Husted, attorney general MIke DeWine, and of course, our neanderthal legislature.
It was the latter who decided, in their infinite lack of wisdom, to insert a provision into the transportation bill that required college students to acquire an Ohio drivers license and car registration within 30 days of coming to Ohio if they wanted to vote at a cost that could be as high as nearly $100 — you know, a poll tax.
I know some have said "They should vote at home if they don't intend to live here." The problem is college students often don't know where they will end up. Their lives are in flux. Why get a brand new drivers license (especially since many students have no access to a car while at school) if you don't know where you'll ultimately be going? But the present reality for most is their college. And by letting them have a voice in what goes on in their new hometown, you give them a stake in it and a reason to stay.
At
Taking a Left Turn in South Dakota,
M Larson writes—
Experience Matters in Classrooms ...There's a Shocker:
In a study that proves something that most people with a generally functioning brain could have already told, researchers report that generally the more experience a teacher has, the stronger they are in the classroom.
Moreover, teachers' deepening experience appears to translate into other student benefits as well. One of the new studies, for example, links years on the job to declining rates of student absenteeism.
Although the studies raise numerous questions for follow-up, the researchers say it may be time to retire the received—and somewhat counterintuitive—wisdom that teachers can't or don't improve much after their first few years on the job.
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Unfortunately, South Dakota schools are experiencing a serious issue. More and more teachers are retiring and not enough young teachers are coming up the pipeline. The Huron Plainsman reported on the coming drought of teaching candidates:
Some 1,000 teachers are nearing retirement, but only about 600 students are enrolled in South Dakota college and university teacher training programs.
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At
Progress Illinois,
Ellyn Fortino writes—
Report: Chicago Aldermanic Campaigns See Few Small Donations:
Small campaign donations of less than $150 represented only 11 percent of contributions given last year to 2015 Chicago aldermanic candidates.
That's according to a new campaign finance analysis of Chicago's aldermanic elections and runoffs by the Illinois PIRG Education Fund.
The report, based on campaign finance data from January 2014 through last Friday, comes ahead of Chicago's April 7 election, which features 18 aldermanic runoff races. In each of these 18 aldermanic contests, no candidate reached the 50 percent plus one needed in the February 24 election to avoid a runoff. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and top challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia are also in a runoff.
Last year's 11 percent figure for small donations to aldermanic candidates, based on the most current available campaign finance data, is troubling to Abe Scarr, director of the Illinois PIRG Education Fund.
"Not every candidate has access to big money, or they have access it, but their positions may not appeal to big donors. And we think candidates who are funded [and] supported at the grassroots level should be able to compete for voters, and that's why we support small donor campaign finance reform," he said.
At
The Seminole Democrat of Florida,
the ismay writes—
Rick Scott's SuperPAC Raises 700K, Even Though He Can't Run Again:
Nothing shady going on here. Just taking a half million form the Chamber of Commerce and several industry political money machines. One of the Chamber's PAC, ironically named Florida Jobs Pac, only has three contributors: Publix, Disney, and our power company, Florida Power and Light. That last one really cheeses me because we have no say in who our power company is, how bad they treat us, or how much they can gouge us. FPL literally gives money to those who are supposed to be protecting us from high rates, so they can raise our rates, and in turn give the money to Rick Scott.
As shameful as that is, at least it was an election year last year. What is going on in March 2015? Is Rick running for a 3rd term? Nope, just special interests giving large amounts so money to a lame duck governor to remind him that he still runs the state. Amendment 1 is big in the news (mostly because Scott and the GOP are ignoring it) so let's run an ad on something else. Big Sugar, which stands to lose needed land they legally promised the state, won't mind throwing a few more bucks Rick's way so he can talk about how great the minimum wage job growth has been here.
There is no break from seeing Rick Scott's mug in the four months since the election ended. The money is wasted on shameless self-promotion: long commercials where he touts his made-up accomplishments and pretends to be good governor. At least his ads when he was running were entertaining.
At
The Progressive Pulse of North Carolina,
Sadaf Knight writes—
Raising the bar: NC must invest in Main Street businesses to promote community economic development:
The past few years have brought a major shift in how the state of North Carolina approaches economic development. Legislation passed in 2014 eliminated the state’s seven economic development partnerships, and replaced them with eight Partnership for Prosperity Zones. These zones were placed under the umbrella of a new public-private partnership to manage North Carolina’s economic development efforts.
The establishment of the public-private partnership signaled a new direction for economic development in North Carolina, one that is focused more on the attraction and retention of high-growth, innovation-focused, large employers and not as much on the businesses on Main Street. [...]
All of these programs, though they are geared toward entrepreneurs and small businesses, do not address the capital or training needs of “Main Street” businesses—the local small businesses that are the backbone of economies in communities across the state.
These are not necessarily the high-tech innovators, but they are nevertheless important economic and community assets. These restaurants, barber shops, bakeries, bookstores, auto repair shops, child care programs, doctor’s offices, small farms, and more are critical economic engines. They create jobs, generate wealth, and are rooted in communities.
Yet these small businesses face the most significant barriers to accessing capital.
At
Texas Kaos,
Libby Shaw writes—
The Houston Chronicle Spanks Ted Cruz:
The editorial board at the Houston Chronicle fortunately has little patience for political snake oil dealers, charlatans, hypocrites, fork tongued liars and narcissistic demagogues. At least this is the case when a major and one of the most diverse U.S. city's major newspaper has to hold on to its standing in the credibility department.
It is helpful to know that when an elected official blatantly abdicates his duties and responsibilities on behalf of those whom he supposed to serve in order to serve himself instead, that the press and the mainstream media will expose him.
Open Secret.
Ted Cruz has every right, as best we can tell, to run for president, even though he was born in Canada to a Cuban father. We're happy he's the first of several potential candidates with Texas ties. We're not so happy about his disdain for 30 million Texans he was elected to represent just a couple of years ago. It's no secret that he's been running for president since the day he was elected - or maybe since he was a 15-year-old memorizing the U.S. Constitution at Houston's Second Baptist High School. But his declared candidacy in 2012 was for the Senate, not the White House. |
It is true that Ted Cruz has done squat for the Texans he was elected to represent other than to bring shame, humiliation and embarrassment to all of us who didn't vote for him. And that would be many of us since few of us vote in Texas.
It's all about Ted.
At
MN Progressive Project,
Dog Gone writes—
Laff(er)ing at Ted Cruz and his presidential run:
So, now Ted Cruz joins past presidential candidate wanna-bes on the right in proposing a flat tax. Flat taxes have been proposed by most recently Herman Cain and the Nut Gingrich, but have also been floated in the past as far back as Steve Forbes when he wanted to be the right wing nut candidate. There is a problem with the Fat Tax. It doesn’t work, in that it does not offer the promised benefits in tax revenue or growth.
What it DOES do—and why we should expect it from the right wing, hand maidens to the wealthy, is to benefit the rich and to expand wealth and income inequality. It also tends not to have provided adequate revenue—much the way the Bush tax cuts failed to produce adequate (much less increased) revenue and economic growth. The flat tax also does not promote adequate revenue or optimal job growth, much the way we have seen the tax cuts in regressive states like Kansas and now Wisconsin have not produce either economic growth or job creation and increases in business growth. There has been experimentation with the flat tax, mostly in formerly eastern bloc European countries and Russia. Many of those countries, after implementing a flat tax, DID see economic growth, but for other reasons than he flat tax, and those countries have been hit hard by the 2008 global economic recession. And another factor not generally noted—most of the countries that have implemented the flat tax have also been widely regarded as highly corrupt, with Russia being regarded as the MOST corrupt—one of the most corrupt in the world, which should be considered in any reference to increased tax compliance. This is significant because Cruz also wants to abolish the IRS, making compliance apparently entirely on the honor system.
Yeah, like THAT is going to work.
At
Eclectablog of Michigan,
Eclectablog writes—
Employees of for-profit prison food vendor Aramark served food that had been in the trash:
For-profit prison food vendor Aramark is back in the news again with revelations that its employees served food that had been in the trash and were rinsed off, reheated, and served to inmates.
Aramark has a long history of patently absurd violations. The young doctor of state rules and, frankly, the norms of society, all of which have been documented here at Eclectablog. Aramark employees have been busted having sexual relations with inmates, bringing drugs to inmates, soliciting a hit on a prisoner, and even serving food that had been gnawed on by rodents. This is on top of food shortages and the discovery of maggots in food service areas (twice, actually) run by the private company that profits from our tax dollars. …
At
Blogging While Blue of Georgia,
Gary S. Cox writes—
Will Georgia issue a “license to discriminate?”:
Back in July 2014, in Blogging While Blue I "prophesied” that Senator Josh McKoon was going to once again introduce his “license to discriminate” legislation also known as Preservation of Religious Freedom Act based on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Kyle Wingfield published an editorial from an interview with the good Senator in light of the High Court ruling. Unfortunately, in this case we are dismayed our predications of last summer have come to fruition.
This week, Senate Bill 129 took a “hard right turn” in the Georgia House of Representatives, when the House Judiciary Committee rejected amendments that would have clearly prohibited discrimination against minorities and LGBT Georgians. Now, the “wing nuts” of the Republican Party have shown their cards. Speaker Ralston stated in a recent speech to the Atlanta Press Club that he wanted to understand the “motivation” behind the legislation, “Before we move forward, we have to understand what the impact of this legislation will be on the rule of law in this state. We need to know if this legislation opens the door to unintended consequences of any type, that some may try to exploit.” He went further by stating, “Closing the door to anyone is closing the door to all …”
Well, Mr. Speaker, here it is in black and white, the purpose and motivation behind the religious freedom legislation is to grant some the right to discriminate against the LGBT community.
At
Louisiana Voice: Graft, Lies and Politics,
tomaswell writes—
Bobby Jindal is not Louisiana’s governor; he long ago moved into new role as state’s undisputed Prevaricator in Residence:
prevaricator
[pri-var-i-key-ter] prɪˈvær ɪˌkeɪ tər
noun
1. person who speaks falsely; liar.
2. person who speaks so as to avoid the precise truth; quibbler; equivocator.
Bobby Jindal loves to throw around the “L-word.”
So much so that we at LouisianaVoice are beginning to let it creep into our vocabulary when writing about Bobby.
Of course, his “L-word” and our “L-word” have completely different meanings.
For him, it’s invoked when reacting to the “Liberal” media’s calling him out on his claims of being the savior for Louisiana’s health care, education, economy, ethics and general well-being.
For us, the “L-word” denotes Liar, as pathological Liar. [...]
Before you get the wrong idea, we don’t reside in a dream world where the sun is always shining and the grass is always green. We know politicians lie. Former Gov. Edwin Edwards once said it went with his job. [...]
But Bobby Jindal elevates lying to an art form At least he tries to, but his prevarications are so disingenuous as to appear laughable—except the joke is on us.
At
Green Mountain Daily of Vermont,
Sue Prent writes—
A Grown-up Conversation Begins:
This past week, quietly and without fanfare, Vermont took one baby step forward toward embracing reality.
The reality I refer to recognizes the need for some minimal effort at gun control.
This is the twenty-first century and we are living in an alienated America where children in a quiet Connecticut kindergarten can fall victim to mass murder on a whim; and where we hear every week, if not every day, of new acts of senseless gun violence even in unexpected places.
The argument that Vermont doesn't have a gun problem and so does not need to even consider gun control makes about as much sense as does refusing to carry car insurance because you've never had an accident, or declining homeowner's insurance because your house has never burned down.
If Vermont has so far escaped an outbreak of gun violence on national media scale, it is only by virtue of a small population and a whole lot of luck. It is not because of a total lack of regulation, and anyone who argues that it is is deluding him/herself.
While S.31, a bill that would have imposed criminal background checks on all gun sales, failed to pass, a much more modest effort, S.141, received a generally favorable reception by the Senate.
S.141 simply aligns state regulations to the existing federal mandate against felons convicted of violent crime possessing firearms, and requires background checks for persons with "adjudicated" mental illness.